Sheila Dikshit asked to pay Rs 3.25 lakh as rent for overstaying in official bungalow

New Delhi: The Delhi government has asked former chief minister Sheila Dikshit to pay a heavy sum of Rs 3.25 lakh as rent for overstaying in her official bungalow. Reports say that former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal may also have to pay his rent at market rate for his Tilak Lane official residence after March 1.

Public Works Department (PWD) has also asked former Congress ministers Arvinder Singh Lovely, Harun Yusuf and Kiran Walia to pay Rs 6.5 lakh, Rs 2.9 lakh and Rs 5.8 lakh respectively as rent decided on the basis of market value.

While Walia and Dikshit have already vacated their official bungalows, Lovely and Yusuf are yet to do so. According to official sources, PWD has already started the procedure to vacate the official residences of Lovely and Yusuf.

As per Delhi government rules, former ministers can stay in official residences free of cost for 15 days after resigning from their posts. Afterwards, they can opt to stay for six more months but they will be required to pay rent at market rates, the norms say.

Sources said that apart from Dikshit and her Cabinet colleagues, Kejriwal will also have to pay a hefty amount of rent from next month. Kejriwal resigned on February 14 after failing to get Jan Lokpal Bill passed. He can live free of cost in the flat alloted to him till March 1.